Entrance to Paradise
by Neku the Last Reaper
Summary: Post DoC, One Shot. Vincent is called in on an important task for Tifa on his birthday, but he gains something much more. Written in honor of 10/13. Vincent x Cloud


**A/N:** Hey guess who? It's your old pal Neku! Yep, my creative bug has infected me with its genetics. (BP for the reference catch). Anyway, since we all know what today is, right kids? Yep Vincent's birthday! (Technically yesterday, but this story exploded on me with plot.) It's Post DoC and Post my Vincent x Chaos fics, you don't need to read those to get what's going on here, but it does give you some more understanding.

**Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own.**

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I stood up on the prow of the airship, the wind whistled through my cape and hair. My fingers brushed a few stray locks from my face and I gazed towards the airship's destination. Midgar, or what remained of it, stood a hallowed reminder of the sins of our world, it had been over three years since Meteorfall and the world had begun to rebuild. Where mako reactors once pulled the life of the mountains, a field of the white and yellow lilies grew. I could recognize Cloud's hand in this; he'd probably started the field when the soil had nutrients to spare again. The cliff I passed over next was one that I knew held great importance to the blond. Alone, a solitary sword stood vigil over the massive fields of flowers and the city of Midgar, the Buster Sword. It had been the weapon Cloud carried through much of our journey to stop Shin-Ra and Sephiroth, but before then, it belonged to the SOLDIER Zack Fair. I bowed my head to the sword in a small prayer of thanks, according to what Cloud had told us, Zack's sacrifice was what allowed us to have a fighting chance, the same with Aerith. I also gave a small nod to the church, neither of them had directly influenced my own story but they still saved everything they cared for. Unlike me…

The ship turned slowly towards a new town, far smaller than the empire whose shadow loomed over it, but a hardy one. Edge, build from the ruins of Midgar and inhabited by the refugees determined to make a new life for themselves. I felt a smile play on my lips, people so fragile, so determined to make a new life for themselves. From the inside I heard Cid barking order after order, on several occasions calling for Shera, his main assistant and new wife. I shook my head, some people never change. When the ship finally came to a halt, it was well away from Edge by a good few miles. I passed through the helm to see Cid reaching for a cigarette then frowning. I merely walked past him; maybe Shera would cure his habit after all.

"Oy Vince!" Cid called when I had almost reached the door. I stopped and faced him briefly with my eyebrow up. "I was gonna tell ya that I'd catch up wid ya later, gotta refuel the damn thing. You better get a move on or Tifa'll have your head!"

I smiled slightly and departed his company. Passing through the maze of hallways to the exit ladder, I stared down at the patch of wild grass, and then with one foot on the balcony, I leaped down and landed in a crouch on the ground. Straightening up I glanced up at the Shera; Cid waved down and made a motion towards his refueling station in Edge. I nodded and he took off again.

I crossed the grassy field towards the city with a slight amount of haste. My journey in question deserves some explanation. Tifa had called me yesterday, with the sound of panic in her voice, stating that she had to meet with me right away. I vaguely wondered why she couldn't discuss it on the phone, but years of Turk training made me aware that some things couldn't be said over an unsecured line. But then back during my time in that organization, we had to rely on landlines to secure our information, and wire-tapping was a real threat. Why should mobile PHS be any different? So with my information in hand and the knowledge that Tifa had called Cid to collect me from the waterfall near Nibelheim, I set out to Edge with all haste.

I crossed into the outskirts of the city, several people took notice vaguely, but if there's one thing Turks can do, it's blend into a crowd without attracting attention beyond normal. A large poster advertising the play Loveless still had bullet holes in it from the fight against Deepground a few months ago. I suppose there were more pressing matters than a minor amount of damage I had caused with the destruction of a sniper. I followed several back alleys still with puddle water from the seasonal monsoon until I arrived at my destination.

According to the group, this was the second incarnation of Seventh Heaven; the first had become ruined under the Sector 7 plate of Midgar. I stepped up to the bar when someone grabbed my sleeve and dragged me back, two someones actually. I glanced down to see Marlene Wallace, adopted daughter of Barrett, and Denzel, the young orphan from Midgar, tugging at my arms.

"Wait Uncle Vince!" Marlene pleaded. "Tifa's way busy with customers right now and she said we had to go shopping but we need help!"

"Please help us Uncle Vince!" Denzel added hopefully.

I sighed, if there was one thing I hated, it was I could never refuse a request from these two. "What do we need?"

"Let's see, she gave us a list! Come on!" Denzel shouted and led the way proudly, waving a piece of paper, bearing the naturally curvy cursive of Tifa.

Marlene held my hand and we walked several blocks to the store. "First we need, socks!" Denzel declared as we entered the store. We traipsed back to the far corner of the store and procured a bag of socks. Denzel frowned at the list, "what're 'tampons'?" I blinked and felt a slight blush creep over my face. "Uncle Vince?" He asked.

I frowned and held out my hand for the list, he handed it over and I stared at it. Sure enough the item was right under 'socks'. At the top of the list was a friendly reminder, 'Remember, if you don't know what it is, then ask Uncle Vince.' Tifa… "You two wait here." I turned and went two aisles down to procure the item. I returned a moment later, my face considerably warmer, and the kids had moved onto the next object, 'makeup.' I followed along as Marlene picked out several items, lipstick, foundation, blush, eyeliner and mascara. The item after that was 'underwear for Cloud', well fortunately I could pick out the right kind in that regard, so a few pairs of heart patterned ones and chocobo ones would do him some good. Next came food items, two pounds of salt, sugar, and flour each. Then six apples and half a dozen chocobo eggs later, we departed the store and went to the back door of Seventh Heaven, the kids took the supplies in, but when I prepared to enter, another person stopped me. Shelke Rui pushed me back and prevented me from entering.

"Vincent Valentine, would you care for some coffee? Good." With that cryptic decision the former Tsviet pulled me from the back door, across the town and to the small outdoor café that belonged to one of Tifa's old friend's, Johnny. We sat in silence enjoying the beverages outside, each of us seated on an old tomato crate. I drained the mug in two gulps, and then faced Shelke.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I simply thought that you would enjoy something after your long trip, Tifa is swamped with customers. So I decided not to bother her."

"Mmm," I nodded and set the cup with a tip down. "I should get going, she declared she wanted to speak to me."

"I will follow you shortly after. I must speak with the owner about something." She replied.

I wandered with all haste back down the street to Seventh Heaven. Something very odd was going on here; Tifa would never send the kids shopping to buy her personal items. And Shelke knew if she wanted to eat at Seventh Heaven that Tifa had a special table set aside in the back for her friends. Someone in the bar was trying to keep me out. I stepped up to the front door, face to face with Yuffie Kisaragi.

"Not so fast mister." She put a hand up to stop me. With a deft side step, I avoided her and aimed for the door. She tried to block me with her body, I glared pointedly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't go in there! Tifa she-um, there's a massive flood, and um well the floor is wet! Yeah the floor's wet, you'll slip!" I stepped forward and she turned grim, "I didn't want to use my super-Wutai ninjutsu on you but it looks like I'm gonna have to get serious with a capital S!" She set in a fighting stance, and then threw a straight right cross towards my face. I stepped out of her way, and she tripped off of the stoop and tumbled over. I avoided the kicking legs and stormed the entryway. "Vince wait!!!"

"Happy birthday Vincent!" the lights came on to a room full of people and party decorations.

I blinked, sure today was my birthday… but I didn't expect anyone to remember, much less care. Barrett and Cid sat at the bar, holding up tankards of beer apiece, though from their expressions, their current round hadn't been their first or second. Shera had Marlene and Denzel, each of the children had party hats on, holding up a pair of small packages. Nanaki stood beside Reeve Tuesti and his mechanical doll Cait Sith. Tifa grinned and waved me in, "Vincent Valentine, I believe this is the first time I have seen you shocked." She laughed. "You thought we wouldn't remember, but we did."

The one person I wanted to see was conspicuously absent, but I had little time to brood upon this while both Yuffie and Shelke, who could walk quickly for a child, dragged me towards the seat at the end of a long table. Two sets of hands forced me into the seat and I sighed. Why couldn't everyone just leave well enough alone? Then Tifa stepped forward and pulled the lids off of all of the dishes on the table. Someone had been spying on me for some time, with all of the Nibelheim and Mideelen cuisine spread on the table. I picked up one of the small meat filled pastries and ate it. Tifa had once again outdone herself.

The group had situated around the table and begun to eat, Nanaki sat on my immediate left, an especially elevated platform had been raised so he could join the festivities. "Vincent, you know as well as I, that moments like this do not come often. For all the things we have seen, see, and will see, cast aside your burden for one moment and enjoy the company of your friends." He then rolled one of the raw fish towards himself and ate it quietly with considerable manners.

Cid grinned, "Come on Vince! Light'n up! Have a brew!" On that note he threw a roll at my head, "live a little!"

"I am," I muttered in response while ducking the flying bread.

Barrett snorted and frowned, "fool don't know how to enjoy himself!"

Had this been any other situation, I would have brushed it off, but this was one moment when that wouldn't happen. "I am."

Tifa glared at the men further along the table, "leave him alone! Let him enjoy the day!"

They silenced when they heard the crackle of her knuckles against her palm. I simply ate in silence, wondering what on the Planet had happened to Cloud. The empty seat on my right made me uneasy, as it reminded me of an eerily similar situation on a day like this one. I tried to brush the thought from my head, but the damn thing just continued to nag. But when Cid and Shera both stood up at the far end of the table, the thought vanished a little. Cid gave a loud shushing before he turned to Shera.

"Vincent I hope this is okay with you, but we have an announcement to make," Shera smiled and pushed her glasses up. I gave a small nod of agreement. She beamed to the rest of the group. "We're expecting our first baby in seven months." She declared. Mostly I wasn't surprised, my highly sensitive nose picked up on the scent of the baby when we were on the airship.

"To the happy couple," I held up my wine glass briefly in a toast. The rest of the group joined in, the adults with various forms of alcohol, the kids with cups of juice. When I finished the glass I stared unfocusedly at the empty plate before me. I stood and tapped Tifa with a vague motion towards the back, where both bathrooms and the rest of the house were accessible. She nodded and waved me off. I waited until any attention was off of me, then bypassed the restrooms and entered into the back. The memory of the situation, just like this one, the one that started my Inferno and Purgatory, played over and over in my head.

_It was another birthday, my twenty seventh and last, though I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't exactly the thirteenth of October, for it fell on a Friday this year. For all of their knowledge and thirst for facts, scientists are a surprisingly paranoid bunch. So at Professor Gast's suggestion, we had decided to celebrate the week prior, since I would be back in Kalm for most of the following week. Dinner was approaching its end, yet my love at the time, and in some ways forever, Lucrecia Crescent, had yet to arrive. I excused myself from the table to 'use the restroom' though I actually went to see if she was there. I searched the kitchen, both of our bedrooms, the bathrooms and the greenhouse._

_She wouldn't still be in the lab at this hour would she? Nevertheless I descended the ramp, crossed the caverns and entered what would become my personal Hell. "Lucrecia? Hello?" I called curiously into the dim room._

_One of the large monitors in the wall was lit; I walked briskly over and stopped. A Shin-Ra personnel file, on one Grimore Valentine, deceased two years prior. I read through it for a moment then sound drew my attention._

"_Is someone there?" Lucrecia asked as she entered the lab._

"_Lucrecia, this file…" I started, my tone perhaps too harsh in retrospect. _

"_It's none of your business!" She snapped defensively._

"_But it is, how did you know my father?" Now I know I had acted both too rashly and harshly. But back then that wound was still fresh…_

_The discussion from there turned to a shouting match… both of us infuriated with the other… I paid my fee across the river that day, and started on a long trek through the darkness and fires of Hell._

"Wait a minute what are you doing here?" a faint voice echoed.

"_Lucrecia?"_ I stared at the angelic face before me. _"No not again… please, let something, anything change this time."_ I stared, "it's nothing."

I turned and less walked and lurched up the _ramp leading back to the upper floors of the mansion, my mind numb and body tired. Maybe all we needed was a little space for a while… _I collapsed onto a bed face first, not even bothering with my clothes… _part of me still angry, the other just wanted to curl up and die._ I stared out the window, my face reflecting in the slight downpour that had started outside. _I would be gone in the morning, and when I came back things would be better… or so I hoped… but too much hope is the opposite of despair, an overpowering love can consume you in the end._

"Vincent, what's going on?"

"I… I am fine," I lied and faced away from the door.

"No you're not, talk to me," a hand rolled me over and I stared up into the concerned blue eyes and spiky crowned face of Cloud Strife. One hand held his eye, the other one watered slightly but he could still pull off quite the serious look with it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… just reliving something I had forgotten a long time ago." I muttered, forcing up the barriers around my emotions.

"Want to talk about it?" he offered hopefully.

I shook my head and stood up. "No, I am fine now, thank you." I started for the door but Cloud sidestepped and pinned me to the wall using his hand and arm as a barrier.

"No you're not, you're worried. Something's bothering you." He confronted sternly.

I sighed, "You did not show up at the party… it reminded me of another occasion when this happened… it did not end well for anyone."

Cloud gave a half smile and his arm relaxed. "Ah… I see."

"You have lemon juice in your eye." I noted quietly, my nose finally picking up the citrus scent.

"You startled me when you came into the kitchen. I was finishing up with it when you came sweeping in. And my hand clenched, so… ehehe," he gave an awkward laugh. His tiny little laugh, something I hadn't heard since our travels with AVALANCHE. Maybe… he had started to recover from the pain of his losses, at least a little. Something warm tingled in the pit of my stomach, the thought that Cloud Strife, the hero of the Planet, had become temporarily blinded by a piece of fruit of all things was… amusing. A small chuckle escaped my lips, not my normal cynical smirk and snort, but an honest chuckle. Cloud closed the distance slightly, eyes fixed on my mouth. "Did you just laugh?"

"No," I lied sternly, setting my face in its normal neutral position.

"Ah well I think I must have mistaken it then." His face came even closer in, and I became aware that we'd become inches apart.

"Cloud…" I started, my crimson eyes meeting his azure ones. Something flickered within his emotions, something I had not seen since Chaos returned to the Planet several months prior. Love. Affection. Something I did not feel I could deserve again. After he'd pulled me from the rubble of Midgar, I assumed he was merely overjoyed to see me even though I knew he harbored at least some feelings towards me. I hadn't admitted my own infatuation with him, firstly because Chaos would have punished me, but also because I wasn't sure I was ready for another relationship. For my entire life all of my relationships had ended poorly, from high school onward, it had been one tragedy after another with my romantic life.

"What is it Vincent?" He asked and moved the hand on the wall to my shoulder. I turned redder and then I faced him. Was I really ready to open up again? To risk the pain and sorrow that came whenever a relationship ended badly? Cloud was different than anyone else, if anything he was most like myself, enduring pain and loss, but pushing it aside to fulfill the mission at hand. Of all the people in the world, he would most understand my pain. I leaned forward slowly, deliberately and closed the gap.

We broke apart a few moments later and stared at each other. Cloud started to move back in but then we both stopped, something had started to burn downstairs. We bolted to the door and down the stairs. Unfortunately, Cloud stepped on the hem of my cloak with a loud rip and we tumbled down the stairs, in the mix up I landed neatly on top of him. After a long and cool pause we went to the oven. He whipped on an apron with floral print and matching oven mitts then cautiously opened up the oven. A wave of smoke washed over both of us and he unearthed a burnt object from the smoldering heart.

"Dammit…" Cloud muttered, clearly crestfallen. He turned to me and held up the pan, "I was trying all day to bake you a cake! But all day that's been happening."

I noticed that some of the smoke had settled into his hair, one of my hands reached out and ruffled it. Some of the dust flew out and he sneezed. I kissed him on the forehead gently. "Thank you."

He smiled weakly then pulled off an oven mitt, one finger dipped into the cake. "It's not too bad. Care to try?" He held up his finger for me.

I smirked and licked off the cake, he shivered and gave a small, quiet smile. "Delicious." I noted.

He set the cake down and pulled out several different frostings, "since the surprise is ruined want to help me?"

With a brisk nod I took a piping back and filled it with red frosting. He picked up the primary layering knife and started to spread it. I went to apply some piping but my left thumb cut through the bag and sent the frosting all over the cake. Cloud blinked and then started to chuckle but he restrained himself. After assessing the mess, I took a swab of the frosting from my left hand onto the fingers of my right and swiped it across his face. He blinked, delved into the white frosting and smeared it on my nose. We continued exchanging blows until we both calmed down. He handed me the base layer. "Here, maybe you better do this."

I took the bowl and began to lather on the frosting base. Cloud followed after, with a fresh piping bag. We finished off the cake and he set in three candles in the middle. I discovered his piping was of the Cerberus pendant that hung from my gun and each head had a candle in its mouth. He picked up the cake and we went to rejoin the party. Both of us had forgotten to clean up after our… departure.

"Well, well, well, looks like Cloudy here gave Vince more of a present than he bargained for. You've been gone for fifteen damn minutes!" Cid Highwind gave us the, 'I know where you two got off to and what you did or so I think' look.

"No, we did not Cid. And please refrain from mentioning these sorts of things in front of the children." I replied coolly while gesturing towards Yuffie.

"He~e~ey!! I'm almost twenty! I'm not five." The ninja pouted and waved her arms. "Are you even listening!?" She stuck her tongue out at me.

Cloud set the cake on the table. He waved me over to the cake and I sat down at the table. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed slightly while he sat at his appointed place.

"Make a wish Vincent!" Tifa smiled and held up a camera.

I considered for a moment, a wish huh? I thought for a moment, I wished from the bottom of my heart for things to end differently this time. With a side-glance and slight smile at Cloud, I closed my eyes and blew out the candles.

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**A/N:** For anyone confused what Vincent's talking about by Inferno and Purgatory, those are the first two books of Dante Alighieri's epic poem _The Divine Comedy_ which I think fits Vincent's story. When Lucrecia dumps him and he gets shot, experimented on, then locked in a coffin, is Inferno; when the party finds him in VII all the way to the end of DoC is Purgatory, and this could be considered Paradise. If you haven't read it, do so.


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